@CHSSHuskies

College Heights Secondary School November Newsletter 2015

Class of 2015

What a great fall we have had! Warm, a little wet but not really cold yet. We are at the halfway point in Semester 1 and now is the time for mid-term reports. This is another excellent opportunity for parents to sit down with their student and develop a plan for success. I encourage parents to get in touch with their student’s teachers, resource teacher or guidance counselor, if there are issues in this report that require attention. As always student success is a priority for us and we look forward to working with you to maximize the success of all our students.

It has been a very busy fall for us at CHSS. Just two weeks ago our grade 10’s and leadership students headed out to Camp Ki-Wa-Y, for our annual CELE camp. The weather was terrific and the students and staff had an excellent time. As I write this today we are preparing for our Remembrance Day ceremony on November 11. In light of recent events in our country, Remembrance Day is a significant event at our school as it is across our country. Make no mistake that we remember not to glorify war and violence but to draw attention to the privilege we have to live where we do and the sacrifice that was made to secure this privilege. Many young men and women, including those who would be the age of our current students, paid the ultimate price and we honour their service in hopes that by doing so we can prevent any global conflict down the road. Our anti-bullying day is approaching. As a school we work hard to create a safe and caring school environment and hope that by focusing on bullying we can address issues that lead to this and prevent bullying from occurring in our school. Once again our school has been selected to build dog houses for Northern Communities and we are excited to take part in this excellent project.

I suggest that now is a great time for students and families to review course selections for semester 2 and beyond. Our course selection process for the next school year is fast approaching as well as recruitment for potential SHSM students. If you have questions related to pathways or career options down the road, please contact the school and make an appointment to explore areas of interest. A counselor will be able to help your student choose the appropriate courses to open the door to potential career or post-secondary opportunities. Work experience for grade 10’s Career students happens this fall. This provides a great mechanism for students to discover for themselves what they want to do or become down the road. If you have questions related to SHSM, please contact Caryl Durst at the school and if you are wondering about work experience or co-op, please feel free to contact Barb Omland in our Careers and Coop department.

Please be sure to mark December 16th on your calendars as we host our annual Holiday Luncheon – without a doubt one of my favourite events! As we rocket towards December, please remember to follow us on twitter @CHSSHuskies or get involved with School Council; new members are always welcome. School council meets the First Monday of each month at 6:30pm in our library. See you there!

. Stephen Gayfer, Principal

http://collegeheights.ugdsb.on.ca

Principal’s Report

From the Bakeshop Applause….

On October 22 we celebrated the graduation of 103 students from College Heights. We had 51 students who received the Specialist High Skills Major diploma, 6 Ontario Scholars and 11 students who were on the Honour Roll. There were many staff members who helped to make this event very special and successful. Congratulations to those students!

Student Recognition 2015 was held on October 23. This assembly recognized 40 students who made Honour Roll and also 29 awards of excellence were presented. Keep up the good work!

Thanks to all our community sponsors who help make our Commencement and Student Recognition possible. They are: APC Auto Parts, Atkinson Family, Children’s Foundation of Guelph and Wellington, College Heights School Council, Document Imaging, D & W Auto Body, Dodge Family, Elliott Coach Lines, Guelph Historical Society, Guelph Horticultural Society, Guelph Little Theatre, Guelph Master Gardeners, Guelph Police Association, Guelph Wish Fund, Homelife Realty, Lion’s Club, Cynthia Macleod, Oskam Welding & Machine Ltd, Ray Scapinello, Retired Staff of College Heights, Rotary Club of Guelph, Rotary Club of Guelph-Wellington, Thomasfield Homes, Thompson Family, Upper Grand Learning Foundation, United Way, Victoria Chapter IODE, West End Women’s Institute, and Doug Wilson.

Ms. Parks’ class continues to do a great job on the recycle program at College Heights! Our Waste Audit is approaching.

To date there have been 1,400 books signed out of the library Great work Green Industries students on your fall landscaping

projects. Congratulations to those SHSM Horticulture and Landscaping students who have successfully completed their Tree Planting Certification!

Holiday Luncheon On December 16 we will be serving our annual Holiday Luncheon. In the past our Hospitality and Bakeshop students have prepared and served over 500 at this wonderful luncheon. Students won’t want to miss this event! Tickets will be available soon at a low cost to students. Listen to announcements for upcoming ticket sales.

The Bakeshop is now taking orders for Christmas items. Orders need to be placed by Friday, December 6, 3:30 pm. All orders must be paid at the time of pick-up. Either call your

order into 519-821-4510, ext. 322 or email the bakeshop at chss.bakeshop@ugdsb.on.ca The order form may be picked up in the bakeshop or in the main office. We will not be accepting orders that are faxed to us.

Open to the public: After picking up your

baked goods on either December 15 or 17, be sure to visit the Green Industries HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE in C103, right across from the bakeshop. Buy a lovely, fresh holiday centerpiece or arrangement made by our talented students. Contact shelley.peterson@ugdsb.on.ca or call 519-821-4510, vm 408 to leave a message if you want to pre-order something specific or more info.

Holiday Boutique

Volunteer Hours If you still need your 40 Community Hours, now is a good time of year to get them. Here are a few ideas: Community Groups at the mall wrapping presents at the food bank shoveling snow for seniors helping with your neighborhood

community ice rink If you need a form or for more opportunities, see Ms. Rivers in Guidance.

Thanks to all of the students from Ms. Peterson’s Green Industries classes, Ms. Kumagai’s Exploring Technologies

class and Mrs. Johnston’s Science classes for doing such a great job planting daffodils and crocuses throughout our

school’s landscape. Look for these bulbs to be blooming in the spring. Way to beautify your surroundings Huskies!

Concept by Sheldon Dallaire

Arranged by

Ms. Peterson’s Green Industry

students

Poppies made by Ms. Devlin-Muir

grade 9’s

Backdrops painted by Kirsten Rex and

Adriana Shaw

On-line Bully Reporting Tool

Did you know that in the majority of cases, bullying stops within 10 seconds when peers intervene or don’t support the bullying behavior? The Upper Grand District School Board takes all incidents of bullying seriously. That’s why we developed an online bullying reporting tool. Stop a Bully gives students and parents 24/7 access for reporting bullying. You don’t have to identify yourself – just your school – and your message gets sent directly to your school principal for follow-up. We will follow up on your report. You’ll find the Stop a Bully button on our school’s website and the board’s website https://www.ugdsb.on.ca/reportbullying If your child is the victim of bullying or sees bullying behavior at school, please encourage him/her to speak with someone at school or use the Stop a Bully tool. For more information, contact the school.

Beginning the week of November 30th , Grades 11 & 12 students will be choosing their courses for next year. Students will meet with either their guidance counselor or their resource teacher to do this. We will be using My Blueprint Education Planner to complete choices this year.

A worksheet of the online course selection process as well as a printout of student course selections will be coming home for your parental perusal and signature. For more information, check out http://www.myblueprint.ca/uppergrand. Your student will need to login with his/her school account.

NOTE: Grade 10 student choose their courses for next year in JANUARY. NOTE: Grade 9 student choose their courses for next year in FEBRUARY.

Course Selections

Mark Your Calendars

November 18 - Stand Up To Bullying Day (wear pink)

November 27 - PA Day (school closed to students)

November 23-Dec. 4 - Work Experience (some Gr.10-12)

December 4 - Bakeshop Orders* Due by 3:30pm *(subject to product availability)

December 16 - Holiday Luncheon

December 18 - Last day of classes before break

December 18 - Interim Reports mailed

December 21- January 1 - Winter break (school closed)

January 4 - School Council Meeting (6:30 - 7:30 pm)

January 13 - Grade 8 Parent Night (6:30 - 8:30 pm)

January 28–February 3 - Exams

February 4 - PA Day (if there are no exams rescheduled)

Anti-Bullying Awareness Week November 16-20

Huskies on the Prowl

On October 16th, we hosted the Intercity Soccer tournament. On the same day, students from CHSS participated in the Intercity Bowling tournament. It was a terrific day for all! With winter fast approaching, a new season of sports begins. District 4 girls volleyball is underway and games will be starting soon. It's not too late to come out for District 4/10 wrestling; the first tournament is coming up but will continue until the new year. If you want to join the wrestling team, see Ms. Leach, or listen to the announcements for practice times.

Intercity Volleyball is happening right now and in just a few weeks the Intercity Dodgeball tournament will take place at Tollgate in Brantford. Also listen to announcements about tryouts for the Intercity Ice Hockey team that will begin before Christmas.

Get out and get involved! Please speak to Mr. Skerritt if you want information on any school teams. We want you on our team!

A great time was had by all!